Method of making wire-glass.



PATENTED DEG. 24, 1907 A. J. BALDWIN. METHOD OF MAKING WIRE GLASS.

Ill

PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

- A. J. BALDWIN,

- METHOD OF MAKING WIRE GLASS.

APPLICATION FiLED AUG. 2, 1906.

' understood.

.Glass, of which the any convenient means, not

ARTHUR .T. BALDWIN, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF MAKING WIRE-GLASS.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1907.

Application filed August 2,1906 Serial N0- 3Z8,881-

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ARTHUR a citizen of the United States, East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Method of Making \Yirefollowing is a -speciliea- J. BALDWIN,

tion.

My invention relates of sheet glass having embedded in it a strengthening structure, such, for example, as a meshed wire fabric, and known generally as wire glass.

The object of my invention is to provide a rapid and eilicient process which shall pro duce strong, homogeneous sheets, employing for the purpose apparatus of the simplest character. I

The invention will be more readily under? stood when explained in connection with the annexed drawings. Therein,

Figure 1 illustrates, in diagrammatic longitudinal section, a convenient, simple and effective apparatus for practicing my meth- 0d. Fig. 2 shows a preliminary stage in making a sheet of wire glass by my method, with the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section of a modification of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 consists of a longitudinally moving rolling-table, 1, and a forming-roll 2 spaced above the table a distance equal to the desired thickness of the finished sheet of glass. Back of the first is another roll, 3, near enough to the first roll to form a sort of hopper between them, so that a batch of plastic glass deposited upon the rolls, between them, will spread across the same and descend between the rolls evenly across the table, as will be readily The roll is so spaced from the table that the distance between its periphery and the table is substantially the distance from the table to the position which it is desired the wire fabric should occupy in the sheet of glass. The table 1 and roll 2 are driven in the direction of the arrows by shown, such that the lineal speed of the former and the peripheral speed of the latter are the same. The

to the manufacture roll 3 is rotated preferably at the same speed.

A: of the fabric which is Under the last mentioned roll passes a strip to be embedded in the sheet. of glass, the said fabric bein drawn from any suitable supply, as the r01 5 thereof, and requiring a certain. tension to draw it off said roll 5.

residing at 5 The wire fabric is passed under the roll 3 and its end may be allowed to fall upon the table near the roll 2. A nuiss of plastic glass 6 is then deposited between the rolls 2 and 3 and is from them deposited upon the-fabric, the glass being sufficiently molten lo pass more or less freely by its own weight through the meshes of the fabric: The rendition at this stage is shown in Fig. .2. The end of the strip being held by the weight of the glass on the same, the tension. of the fabric lifts it gradually and holds it above the table and against the roll 3 and allows the glass to pass through the meshes of the fabric instead of bearing it down upon the table. The movement of the table 1 and the roll '3 draws out the lower portions of the mass of glass into a per and lower surfaces of the sheet being slightly chilled by the roll and table, the central portion of thdlsheet is the softer and hence oil'ers least 1 tance to the movement of the fabric in its teri dency to assume a tangential position to thejroll 3 from the point at which the tension is exerted, namely, be tween the roll 2 and the table. But be that as it may, it is a fact that the fabric seeks the center of the space between the roll 2 and table 1, and. assumes a l-position within the sheet there formed. "lhdond of the fabric may, however, be positively held at the desired distance above the table by means of a clamp, not shown, or other suitable means;

fabric, the glass keeps falling through the fabric at the rear of the mass, keeping the quantity below the fabric substantially the same. As the mass of glass 6 becomes smaller and smaller, it may, if desired, be replenished from time to time. In this way the recess may be continuous and the-length of t e sheet would belimited only. by the length of the table; but by using a succession As the sheet is drawn out; and with it the of tables, one behind the other,

1 and is received by a sheet of any desired length can be produced, aswill be readily understood. When the sheet is finished the table bearing the same may be transferred to the annealing oven for the usual annealing.

In the apparatus shown in Fig. 3 the function of the plane rolling-table 1 is performed by a rolling table, of cylindrical form, as the roll 9, the process, however, being essentially the same. The sheet formed between the rolls 2 and 9 leaves the latter at or somewhat below the horizontal diameter of the same t any suitable means, as annealing table 10.

,Wire glass made by this processis equal in every respect to the product of any other process or apparatus with which I am famillar. At the same time the process is rapid and, as is evident from the foregoing description, can be practiced with apparatus of a very simple character.

What claim is: 1. The herein described method of making wire glass, which consists in depositing-he tween oppositely rotating rolls, and upon a longitudinally movable wire fabric, pas ing under said rolls a mass ofgiass sufficiently and plastic tolpafis by its own weight through the spaces or;- ineshes of the fabric, whereby'the latter is embedded in the glass, and progressiveiy drawing out from the mass of lass portions thereof on both sides of the fa ric, simultaneously advancing the fabric and causing a continual passingof glass through the Ifabric at the rear of the mass, as set fort 2. The herein described continuous proc 'ess of making wire glass, which consists in trn between 0 positely rotatin rolls a dinally movable fabric depo through the spaces orineshes of the fabric, whereby the latter is: embedded inthe glass;

of glass porti'ons'thereof on both sides of the fabric, s multaneQusly advancing the fabric and causing a continual passing of glass through the fabric at the rear of the mass; and replenishing the mass of glass from time to time as required; as set forth.

. ARTHUR J. BALDWIN. Witnesses S. S. DUNHAM, ARTHUR E. MAHAN.

progressively drawing out from the mass 

